Gov. Gavin Newsom’s former chief of staff was arrested Wednesday on federal charges that allege she siphoned $225,000 out of 2026 gubernatorial hopeful Xavier Becerra’s dormant state campaign account and wrote off $1 million in luxury handbags and high-flying travel as business expenses on her tax returns.
According to the 23-count indictment, unsealed Wednesday morning, political consultant Dana Williamson conspired with Becerra’s former chief deputy in the California attorney general’s office and ex-chief of staff Sean McCluskie, along with lobbyist Greg Campbell to bill Becerra’s dormant campaign account for bogus consulting services.
Williamson, 53, entered a federal courtroom in Sacramento Wednesday afternoon looking solemn, wearing an oversized gray hoodie. She initially remained composed but could be heard softly crying as the case progressed. She pleaded not guilty to the charges and did not provide a statement.
Williamson, McCluskie and Campbell allegedly used shell companies they controlled to funnel money from the campaign fund starting in early 2022, when Becerra was serving as Health and Human Services secretary under President Biden.
“The news today of formal accusations of impropriety by a long-serving trusted advisor are a gut punch,” Becerra said in a statement. “I have voluntarily cooperated with the US Department of Justice in their investigation, and will continue to do so. As California’s former Attorney General, I fully comprehend the importance of allowing this investigation and legal process to run its course through our justice system.”
The bulk of those payments went to McCluskie’s wife, then a stay-at-home mom, for fake work, federal authorities allege. McCluskie agreed to plead guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit fraud and is cooperating with authorities, court filings show.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Steve Maviglio, a longtime Democratic consultant who has known Williamson for more than two decades and Campbell for nearly the same. “They are both the very best at what they do. They know the rules, that’s why this seems to make no sense whatsoever.”
Campbell’s attorney Todd Pickles said his client “takes full accountability for his actions and is cooperating fully with the legal process.”
“I know Greg Campbell to be an honorable former public servant and a positive and respected member of the community who has conducted himself with integrity through this deeply challenging process,” Pickles said.
In addition to bilking Becerra’s campaign fund, Williamson was charged with falsifying documents to backstop a COVID-era small business loan and claiming designer handbags and luxury vacations as business expenses on her tax returns.
Among her contested write-offs: Williamson allegedly bought herself a $15,353 Chanel purse and a $5,818 Fendi wallet; splashed out for a $150,000 birthday trip to Mexico, where she charged an $11,000 yacht trip; charged a $21,000 jaunt on a private jet; and dropped more than $10,000 at an unnamed California theme park — all on the taxpayer’s dime.
The Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, was part of a trillion-dollar federal relief effort designed to help Americans and small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Williamson was released Wednesday on a $500,000 bond. Judge Carolyn Delaney ordered her to provide a DNA sample, submit to drug testing, surrender her passport and relinquish any firearms in her possession. She gave Williamson until Nov. 26 to put up collateral.
News of the indictment could further scramble the 2026 race for California governor, which will be an open seat as Newsom terms out. Becerra has launched a campaign for the statehouse, as have a number of other prominent Democrats including former Rep. Katie Porter and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
While Becerra is not accused of wrongdoing in the case, having his name linked to Sacramento insiders accused of political corruption could complicate his run.
The indictment could also cause problems for Newsom, who has openly said he is considering a possible run for president in 2028. Though there is no indication that the allegations are tied to the work Williamson did as Newsom’s chief of staff, Republicans and other political rivals may exploit a scandal tied to one of his top former advisors.
Williamson is known as a seasoned political operator in Sacramento and blunt-talking enforcer for Newsom. She joined the governor’s office in early 2023 and departed late last year.
A former Cabinet secretary to former Gov. Jerry Brown who also once worked for former Gov. Gray Davis, she served Newsom through a difficult period for California and the governor’s office, when a budget surplus shifted to a deficit and policy priorities became harder to push through.
“I’ve had the honor of serving under three governors and when asked what I will miss the most, my answer is always the same — the privilege of working with some of the smartest and most committed people I’ve ever known,” she said at the time.
She left her job at the statehouse last December.
“Ms. Williamson no longer serves in this administration,” a spokesperson for the governor said. “While we are still learning details of the allegations, the Governor expects all public servants to uphold the highest standards of integrity. At a time when the President is openly calling for his Attorney General to investigate his political enemies, it is especially important to honor the American principle of being innocent until proven guilty in a court of law by a jury of one’s peers.”
Newsom has been in Brazil since Sunday, beginning with a global climate investors symposium in São Paulo before flying roughly 1,800 miles north to Belém for the United Nations climate summit known as COP30.
On Wednesday morning, before news of the charges against Williamson, he left the conference for a planned trip deep into the Amazon rainforest, where he and a small delegation will board another flight and then travel by boat to visit reforestation and climate-mitigation projects.
Newsom said he was eager to witness “what I’ve only seen on TV or what I’ve seen disappear in my lifetime,” describing both the anxiety he felt during years of fires and deforestation under former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and the optimism he hopes to find in the restoration work now underway.
Federal authorities said the indictment was the result of a three-year-long investigation, meaning it began during the Biden administration.
“Today’s charges are the result of three years of relentless investigative work, in partnership with IRS Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel. “The FBI will remain vigilant in its efforts to uncover fraud and corruption, ensuring our government systems are held to the highest standards.”